Healing yourself is the best way to write creatively. On the flip side writing creatively is the best way to heal yourself.
I grew up making a lot of mistakes. For a long time, I thought I was making significantly more mistakes than others but that was just insecurity talking. I still don’t like making mistakes but it doesn’t destroy me like it used to. One affirmation I wish I knew for a good chunk of my life was “I’m doing better than I think.” The great thing is that I know it now. These days I work through mistakes and use them to propel myself forward.
Creative writing has taught me how to appreciate the first draft. Everything is messy at first. Especially when you’re venturing out into the unknown, it’s going to be messy. Watching my stories come to life after a few edits and gathering ideas from other great writers has really given me new shifts on life. First shift it made me realize was that everyone starts out with a messy first draft. I wasn’t some odd ball we all have messy first drafts. Second shift was that most people aren’t very proud of their messy first draft but they are proud when they start with a mess and transform it into something great.
These shifts matured me as a human and as a writer. It made writing and my life more fun and adventurous.
What has writing taught you?
Jayne.press 